Feb.17 (Ferrari) In Italy, Friday 17th is considered an unlucky date by some,and, if you are a supporter of Italian motor sport then this is particularly true, because today, the last of the country’s representatives among the drivers entered for the Formula 1 World Championship found his name removed from the list.
Jarno Trulli has been let go by Caterham to make way for Vitaly Petrov.
“I am very sad that, after so many years [not since 1969] there will not be an Italian driver in the Formula 1 World Championship field,” said Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali. “I say this on the sporting front and on a personal level when it comes to Jarno, who only on a few occasions has had a car capable of showing off his talents. So here, I wish him all the best for the future, both in racing and away from the track.”
“It’s a difficult moment for our sport, partly for external reasons. For a few years now, Ferrari through its Driver Academy, has established a long term plan to create a new generation of young drivers, which works also in collaboration with the CSAI and I am pleased to see that just now, we can announce that two talented youngsters, Raffaele Marciello and Brandon Maisano, will be given a great opportunity to progress in the sport.”
Among the group of drivers available to the Scuderia for racing and promotional activitiy, there are three Italians born and bred, in the shape of Andrea Bertolini, Giancarlo Fisichella and Davide Rigon, while Jules Bianchi has obvious Italian roots and will be able to make himself known this year in his role as reserve driver for Force India, as well as by racing in the World Series by Renault.